Fast feeding metal working machine



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 w. P. POWERS W QR J R fi m w w m m @U 0 o & Q W 2:35:12 Phi \M mm W v. v I h April 28, 1959 FAST FEEDING METAL WORKING MACHINE Filed Sept. 5. 195a April 28, 1959 w. P. POWERS FAST FEEDING METAL WORKING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 5, 1956 April 28, 1959 w. P. POWERS 2,834,119

FAST FEEDING METAL WORKING MACHINE Filed Sept. 5. 195a 3 Sheets-Sheet s IN V EN TOR.

j gar? F) United States Patent FAST FEEDING METAL WORKING MACHINE Walter P. Powers, Spring Lake, N.J., assignor to C. Todd, Rutherford, N .J., as trustee Application September 5, 1956, Serial No. 608,050

4 Claims. (Cl. 203-150) The invention herein disclosed relates to metal working machines of the type disclosed in the A. E. Borton Patent No. 1,883,513, and known in the trade as Multislides.

In machines of this type the stock, wire or strip, has been fed to the working tools by a reciprocating feed block making one full reciprocation, that is, a feed stroke and a return stroke for each complete cycle of the machine. This means that stock is being fed for one-half cycle and that the tools, to work on the stock while stationary, must complete their operation in approximately one-half the cycle of the machine. a

For operations requiring more working time this may prove somewhat of a handicap. I

a It is an object of the present invention to eliminate this slowing down tendency and to give the working tools ample time to accomplish theirp'urpose without permit- I ting feeding of the stock to delay operations.

Accordingly, the invention comprises a speeding up of the feeding action and the completing of the feed cycle in less than the complete normal working cycle of the machine.

This accelerated feed action is'accomplished in a preferred embodiment of the invention by a 2-1 gearing up of the feed mechanism, causing the feed slide to complete its reciprocation in half the time of the Working tools, thus leaving once and a half the usual time for the tools to complete their functions.

In carrying out these objectives it has been a purpose of the invention to provide the necessary gearing and associated parts in simple practical form readily combined with Multislides and possibly other advanced machines of like design. I

The further novel features of the invention and other desirable objects attained by the invention are more fully set forth and will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrate a present commercial embodiment 0f. the invention, but it will be appreciated that structure may be modified and changed as regards this illustration, all within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

' Fig. 1 in the drawings is a broken plan view of the feed end of a Multislide nshowing the gripper on the slide closed in the feed position.

Fig. 1a is a broken plan of the same parts showing the V ipp win-topen, q itm. w- 1 1 Fig. 2 is a'broken front elevation of the same parts in the same relation. Y Y

3 Fig. 3 isa broken cross sectional view on substantially ',the,plane of 1ine3-'3 of'FigJ'l', showing the cam on the front shaft for'holding-thegripper closed during only one-quarter the revolution representing the complete cycle of the machine.

The plan view, Fig. 1, shows the left and front shafts 7 and 8 of a machine like the Borton patent mentioned, connected by bevel gearing 9 and serving as in that patent to operate various instrumentalities, including the feed block 10 reciprocating on the guide 11 between front and back stops 12 and 13.

The feed block is reciprocated as in the patent by an upright swinging lever 14, Fig. 2, pivotally supported at the lower end at 15 and connected at the upper end with the block by a pivot link 16.

Lever 14 is oscillated by a link 17 pivotally connected Witha mid-portion of the lever at 18 at one end and pivotally connected at the opposite end with a crank pin 19 on a crank disc 20.

The crank disc 20, as in the patent, is mounted on a shaft 21 below and driven from the left shaft 7, but differs from the patent in that the gear connectionbetween these shafts is of two to one instead of one to one ratio as indicated at 22, 23. 7 As a consequence, the lower, crank disc shaft 21 rotates at twice the speed of the left-hand work shaft 7 and thus effects two complete 'reciprocations of the feed block for each rotation of the work shaft and hence each complete cycle of the machine.

The feed slide, therefore, operates at twice the speed of machines heretofore of this class and hence can advance the stock to the working tools at twice the usual speed, leaving the tools once and a half the usual time for accomplishing theirseveral purposes.

The second reciprocation of the feed block being unnecessary for feed purposes, it is practical to trip the gripper at the commencement of the second forward stroke as from a cam 24, Fig. 3, on the front work shaft 8 engaged by roll 25 on rock lever 26 pivoted at the lower end at 27 and connected at the upper end by pivoted link 28 with a lever 29 carrying a rail 30 straddled by spaced rollers 31, 32 on a trip cam 33.

This cam is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as carried by a bolt 34 sliding in a transverse socket 35 in the feed block 10 and as having high and low cam steps 36, 37 adapted to be positioned in back of roll 38 on the gripper lever 39.

This lever is shown as carrying a plate 40 for gripping the strip or stock 41 against a fixed jaw member 42 after the manner of the gripper disclosed in the patent first identified.

The high and low steps 36, 37 of the cam 33 are so proportioned as to hold the gripper closed on and released from the stock when disposed in back of roll 38. Consequently, shifting this cam inward to force the upper step 36 in back of roll 38 will have the eifect of closing and holding the gripper closed and retracting the cam to release and locate the low portion 37 in back of the roll will have the effect of opening the gripper and releasing hold on the stock.

The gripper timing cam 24, Fig. 3, is shown secured by bolts 43 on the back'of bevel gear 9 on the front working shaft and as having a high quadrant 44 capable of closing and holding the gripper closed for one-quarter revolution of the shaft.

The bar 29 which carries the gripper cam shifting rail 30 is shown in Fig. 1 as elongated and pivoted at the outer end at 45. This provides a long leverage for the guide railand enables it to readily shift the cam 33 inward and outward to close and open the gripper.

In the gripper closed position, the timing cam 24 holds the bar 30 parallel with the lineof movement of the feed h oll er. evernd sw n n be: 12 s, $1. 9W l p vst at its outer end at 50 to the intermediate or supplementary lever 48 and pivoted at its inner end at 51 to a hinge lug 52 pivoted on the bar at 53.

The adjustment at 49 thus enables proper setting of the gripper actuating rail 30 in parallel and non-parallel relation to the line of feed slide reciprocation.

The link 16 connecting swinging lever 14 with the feed block is shown as pivotally connected with the lever at its outer end at 54 and as pivotally connected at its inner end at 55 with a stud 56 adjustably screwed in the end of the block, enabling relative adjustment of block and reciprocating mechanism.

The lever 29 carrying the guide rail 30 is slidingly guided and supported at its inner end in a groove 58 in a supporting block 59, Fig. 1, so as to hold its position in respect to timing cam 24 and gripper actuating cam 33 and the latter is held against rotation and slidingly re tained in proper position by engagement over the guide rail 30 and engagement of rolls 31 32 with opposite sides of said rail.

The illustration of the timing cam 24 in Fig. 3 is informative in showing that the feeding of the stock requires but one-quarter of a revolution or cycle of the machine, leaving the tools three-quarters of a revolution of the shafting for the completion of their work. By reason of this, many and more complicated operations may be performed in the same or less time than has heretofore been possible. The swinging movement of the gripper closing rail between parallel and non-parallel positions may be relatively slight, just enough to effect closing and opening movement of the gripper lever. At the end of the feed stroke the closing rail 30 is shifted outward, Fig. 1, to withdraw the high portion 36 of the cam from behind roll 38 and lever 29 carrying the rail will remain in this outwardly inclined position for three-quarters of the rotation of timing cam 24 permitting return, forward and return strokes of the block with the gripper open. At the end of the last, return stroke, the timing cam 24 will shift the lever 29 back to the parallel position shown in Fig. 1, closing the gripper as there indicated. In so doing, this lever may exert powerful leverage on the closing cam, thus gripping the work firmly and positively and because of the then parallel relation of the rail, holding the gripper thus closed for the balance of the forward feeding movement.

The lateral swinging movement of the gripper closing lever 29 between parallel and non-parallel relations is of further advantage. With the pivot center 45 of the lever located outwardly, to the left in Fig. l, the lever will be in a convergently inclined position when shifted to open the gripper, as indicated in Fig. la. Consequently, as the feed block is retracted toward the left, the gripper closing cam 33 will be shifted on this slight incline in the gripper closing direction. This reduces the extent of movement which the cam then has to make to effect closing the gripper on the stock. This also increases the leverage advantage so that closing of the gripper is accomplished with a relatively slight movement and with ample gripping power.

Any number of various tools for cutting, shaping, forming and otherwise working on the stock may be driven by cams and otherwise from the left and front shafts 7, 8 shown and the other, back and right-hand shafts, not shown, to meet any usual or special requirements The gripper shown is of the type in which the clamping lever 39 is mounted on an eccentric hearing at 6 which can be turned by handle 61 to render the gripper operative and inoperative at will. The invention does not interfere with this arbitrary control for throwing the gripper into and out of action.

h rese d. forw r t k o h f ed o k is an idle one, in the present disclosure, it is contemplated that this so-called idle stroke may be utilized for accomplishing some useful effect in some special machines, with the in and out swinging movement of the gripper closing lever giving the necessary timing for such possible special operations.

While a two to one ratio of feed to complete cycle of the machine is at present preferred, it is contemplated that this ratio may be varied to meet unusual or special requirements.

The gripper lever 39, is shown in Figs. 1 and 1a as engaged by a spring plunger 65, to release it from clamping engagement with stock and to hold it properly engaged with the closing cam 33.

What is claimed is:

1. Fast feeding metal working machine of the cyclic type having a cyclic timed shaft making one revolution for each complete cycle of machine operation, a second, higher speed shaft geared to and synchronized with said first shaft at a two-to-one ratio and making two complete revolutions for each cycle of machine operation, a reciprocating stock feeding gripper connected to and actuated by said second, higher speed shaft and thereby operated at the double rate of two feed and recovery strokes for each cycle of machine operation, and gripper closing means connected to and operated by said first shaft in time to effect closing of the gripper on the stock only on alternate feed strokes of said gripper and whereby stock will be gripped and fed by said gripper at the higher speed rate of operation of said second shaft on alternate feed stroke movements made by the gripper.

2. The invention according to claim 1, in which said means for effecting closing of the gripper includes a cam on said first shaft in the form of a quadrant and operating connections from said cam to said gripper for holding the-gripper closed for approximately a quarter revolution of said first mentioned, cyclic shaft.

3. Fast feeding metal working machine of the cyclic type having a first shaft timed to complete a definite rotary movement for each cycle of machine operation, a second, faster rotating shaft geared to and synchronized with said first shaft and having a greater range of rotative movement than said first shaft for each cycle of machine operation, a reciprocating stock feeding gripper, operating connections from said second shaft for reciprocating said gripper a plurality of times for each cycle of machine operation, and means connected with and operated by said first shaft for closing said gripper only on certain of the successive feed strokes imparted to the gripper in each cycle of machine operation and whereby said gripper in making a succession of feed strokes in each cycle of machine operation will be effective to fast feed the stock in only one of such feed movements.

4. The invention according to claim 3, in which said means for closing the gripper includes a cam on said first slower rotating shaft having a gripper closed holding segment and connections extending therefrom to said gripper, said segment with said connections being located and arranged to hold the gripper closed for a period of not more than one quarter revolution of said first shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

